Improvement in harvester-rakes



2 Sheets--Sheef 1v 4WILLIAM A. KIRB'Y. Improvement in Harvester Rakes.

Patented April 2,1372.

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Imaan/7h11 WILLIAM A. KIRBY, OF AUBURN, NEW YORK, ASSIGNOR TO HIMSELFAND i DAVID M. OSBORNE, OF SAME PLACE.

IMPROVEMENT IN HARVESTER-RAKES.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent N 125,308, dated April 2,1872.

-ings making a part of this specification, in

Which- Figure 1 represents, in perspective, aharvesting-machine with therake'and rake-operating mechanism applied thereto. Fig. 2 represents atop plan of the rake and its mechanism, and of so much ofthe machine aswill illustrate their operation. Figs. 3, 4, and 5 represent portions ofthe mechanism not so distinctly seen in the other figures.

Similar letters of reference, wherethey occur in the several separateiigures, denote like parts of the mechanism in all of the drawings.

The nature of my invention consists in combinin g with arevolving-rake,or revolving rake and reel or beaters, irregular gears, whereby the rakemay move across or over the platform in a horizontal (or nearly so)position, and thus sweep a iiat platform of the cut grain; and theinvention further consists in a certain combination of mechanism,whereby the rake may pass over the platform without sweeping it, and inso doing set the mechanism so that it will sweep the platform on thenext round, unless again raised up.

To enable others skilled in the art to make and use my invention, I willproceed to describe the same with reference to the drawings. I

The rake is represented as applied to what is known as the Kirbymachine, which is distinctly shown in the drawings, and need not bedescribed in detail; but it is equally applicable to otherharvesting-machines, and I so propose to use and apply it. The bracketA, in and on which the rake and rake-moving mechanism is supported andturns, is firmly secured to the main frame B by braces O. The reel orbeater-arms D are secured in the head E, and revolve with said head,being driven from the main drivin g-wheel F through a bevelpinion, a, onthe shaf't that drives the cuttersthrough or by means of a second gearand shaft in the ordinary way-the bevel-wheel G, and bevel-pinion b, ona shaft that passes through a sleeve or support, H, and a largebevel-wheel, I, on the shaft, to which the head E is fastened, and byand with which said head and the beaters connected to it are revolved.To a brace or permanent supporting-arms, J, there is fixed an immovablebevel-gear wheel, K, having some of itslteeth, as at c, irregularlyformed or cut, for a purpose to be hereafter explained. The hub andcentral portion of this bevel-gear K is so made that the shaft on whichthe large bevel-gear I and the head E are iixed may pass through andfreely turn in said hub or central portion. To a sleeve,boss, or hub, d,through which, also, the shaft that carries the gear I and head Epasses, but with which shaft said sleeve, boss, or hub turns, there isattached a journal, e, which is somewhat inclined, so as to form anangle less than a right an gie, with regard to the outer end of the reelor beater driving-shaft f, Fig. 5. On this journal is placed and turnsan` irregular bevel-gear-wheel, L, having some of its teeth, cirregularly cut or formed, but so as to match and gear with theirregular teeth c on the bevel-wheel K, with which it meshes, and aroundwhich it rolls and turns. On the irregular wheel L there is attached orformed a seat or shoe, g, to which the rake-arm Mis pivoted at h, and onthe rake-arm or its heel-piece N there is pivoted a spring-dog, i, whichtakes against a shoulder, l, on the shoe g, to lock the rakearrn in acertain position-wiz., its working position-but which dog isautomatically thrown out when the rake is to pass over the platformwithout cleanirg it, and again automatically thrown into action to setthe rake for sweeping or clearing the platform on its next round. Onsaid heel-piece N there is also a frictionroll, j, which runs on acam-way `when the rake is raised up, so as to pass over the platformwithout acting or sweeping it. The cam-Way O is pivoted at 2 to thebracket or frame that supports the rake and its operative mechanism, andis supported on an inclined portion there- ATENT rrrcn.

of, so that when it is moved upon its pivot it shall move upward-andoutward. To another portion ofthe bracket or gear-frame, as at 3, thereis pivoted a dog or trigger, k, having a weight, Z, attached to it to.move it, when not otherwise controlled, into a certain position definedby the pin 4. coming against the bracket or frame; and to anotherportion of the bracket or frame, as at 5, there is pivoted a foot-lever,P, the outer end of which is connected to the cam-way 0 by a rod, m, onwhich there is a projecting arm, a. Near the outer end of the footeleverP there is a small beveled projection, 6, and underneath this projectionthereis an opening, o, into which a hook, 7, on one of the arms ofthetrigger 7c takes to hold up said foot-lever, and through said foot-leverand the rod m to hold up the cam-way, so that the rake, by itsfriction-roll j, shall ride upon said camway, and at such height abovethe platform as will allow it to pass vover without touching` the cutgrain lying thereon. Vhen the cam-way is raised up by the foot-lever P,(which is done by the operator from his seat Q, by pressing his rightlfoot upon the end of said lever,) and is caught and held up by the hook7, as above described, and as the heel of the rake approaches, and isready, through its frictionroll j, to take and ride upon said cam-way,the end of the spring-dog z' comes against a projection, 8, on thecani-way, which throws said dog out of its notch or shoulder 1, andreleasing the rake N from the shoe g, allows said rake to move on itspivot h. The rake so released rides up on the cam-way, which is held upfor that purpose, until the projection 9 on l the gear-wheel com esagainst the arm p on the trigger 7c, and, movingsaid trigger, it drawsthe hook 7 out of the opening o in the footlever I), and allows saidfoot-lever, together with the cam-way, to drop down, but be caught andheld from going too far by the arm a on the rod m which is caught by thearm q of the trigger, as seen in Fig. l. Previous, or at about the sametime that the projection 9 on the gear-wheel trips the trigger k, toallow the parts to go into proper position for the rake to act at thenext round, the shoe g moves upon the rake-heel N until the spring-dogz' comes to and shoots into its notch or shoulder, and the rake and theshoe are again locked and moved together. There is a shoulder, r uponthe dog t', which, when it comes against the shoulder l on the shoe,defines the extent of motion of the rake upon the shoe, or vice versa.Of the irregular gear-wheels K L, of which K is a fixed wheel and L amovable one around a journal, as well as rolling around the perimeter ofthe fixed gear K, it may be said that so long as the regular teeth orcogs of said wheels are in mesh, the rake is revolving in the arc of anirregular path, owing to the an gle at which the journal or shaft of themoving or traveling-gear L stands in relation to the shaft of theimmovable gear K. When,

however, the irregular cogs or teeth c c of these two wheels mesh orinterlock, the motion ofthe rake is in a horizontal, instead of acircular path, and this horizontality continues until the rake hastraversed nearly or entirely over the whole of the platform. Theirregular teeth or cogs c 0 are deeper and more remote from each otherthan the regular ones, Thefv irregular teeth c ofthe fixed gear K (moredistinctly seen in Fig. 4) project beyond the line of the regular cogs-or teeth of said gear, and the irregular teeth c of the movable gear Lare cut deeper thanvthe regular cogs of said gear, so that practicallythe gear K is enlarged in diameter where its irregular teeth are, andthe gear L is similarly diminished in diameter where its irregular teethare, and'thus giving t-o said gear L a more slow motion than whentherregular cogs are in mesh, and they roll against each other withoutactually driving all the time at the same speed, so that the raketravels, but not in a circular path. The importance ot'- these irregulargears K L, andof their action upon the rake, consists in the facilitywith which such a rake may be made to travel over and sweep a perfectlyfiat platform.

There is much of the detail of this rake-driving mechanism; as, forinstance, the manner in which the several parts are placed on and-supported by a common shaft, f, and yet some of them independent of therotation of said shaft, which is clearly shown, but which is notelaborately described, it not being deemed important to do so, as nospecific claim is made to these-details. N or is it deemed necessaryhere to elaborately describe the many parts and devices of the machineitself, as they do not constitute any of the essentials of the novelmatter claimed, and are, moreover, shown in the drawings.

Having thus fully described my invention, what I claim therein as new,and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

l. In combination with the movable and im movable gears L K, forrevolving the rake, the irregularteeth or cogscc on said gears formovingthc rake horizontally across the platform, substantially as described.

2. I also claim, in combination with the rake moved by the two gears KL, and in an irregular path or circuit, the spring-latch t', for lockingsaid rake to its shoe, and for unlatchingit when the rake is to rise tocross the platform without clearing it, substantially as described.

3. I also claim the combination of the pivoted and latched or unlatchedrake-arm with the pivoted cam-way, whereby said cam-way, when thrown up,shall first unlatch the rake, and then admit of its being again latched,as and for the purpose described.

4. I also claim the combination of the movable and immovable gears K L,the foot-lever P, pivoted cam-way O, linlem, and trigger or 'i dog k,for raising and holding up the 0amand cam-Way to drop, and thus set therake way when the rake is notto clear the platform, for sweeping theplatform, on its next round, A substantially as described. as described.

5. I also claim, in combination with the WM. A. KIRBY. gears L K and thetrigger or dog k, for Catching and holding up the foot-lever and Vcarn-Witnesses way, the projectionQ on the gear-Wheel for HORACE T. COOK,tripping said trigger and allowing said lever O. M. GODDARD.

